Ernest &#8220;Freddie&#8221; Charbonnet, the interim City Council member for District E, spoke on economic development in eastern New Orleans. We have heard that a Walmart will soon be built on Bullard Drive, where Lakeland Medical Center used to be. Charbonnet said the design will be similar to...
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Council member gives update on progress

At the September meeting of the Eastern New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission, Ernest “Freddie” Charbonnet, the interim City Council member for District E, spoke on economic development in eastern New Orleans.

We have heard that a Walmart will soon be built on Bullard Drive, where Lakeland Medical Center used to be. Charbonnet said the design will be similar to Walmart stores in Atlanta and in Sugarland, Texas. It has been reported that the eastern New Orleans Walmart will be one of the biggest in the region, offering roughly 300 jobs.

Charbonnet also shared the news of a CVS Pharmacy coming soon to our community as well as a Department of Motor Vehicles office. He said the DMV chose a site along the Bullard corridor at Morrison Road, which would be convenient for administering the state’s driving test.

Charbonnet also told the community to “save the date” of Oct. 11 for a meeting to discuss the status of city projects in eastern New Orleans. The place and time will be announced soon.

In other interesting news, Charbonnet said a movie studio is coming to eastern New Orleans. Stay tuned.

Tangee Wall, executive director of the Friends of Joe W. Brown Memorial Park & Louisiana Nature Center, was invited to give an update on renovations in the park.

Joe W. Brown Park is looking good as far as the Nike and Brees Dream projects are concerned, Wall said. However, just as the Friends group had feared, an accident occurred on Read Boulevard when a child was hit while riding his bike to the library next door.

At a meeting in July, the Friends requested that a passage be opened in the fence between the park and the library parking lot. As it stands now, children and families must walk along Read Boulevard between the park and the library. When the child was hit, the signal light was not working. The sidewalk there has been torn up for months and is impassable.

Luckily, the child was not seriously injured, but a gate between the park and the library is definitely needed.

Kyle Shelly from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Engagement said a follow-up meeting with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and the Capital Projects Office will be held soon to discuss the progress of work in Joe W. Brown Park. The date is to be determined.

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The Eastern New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission will hold a forum for City Council candidates Thursday at 6 p.m. at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, 7300 Crowder Blvd.